This invention relates generally to digital image processing and, more particularly, relates to automatically applying an emphasizing effect to an object in a digital photographic image.
In preparing an image for viewing or publication, it is often desirable to modify the image in some way. Possible modifications include the correction of defects in the image as well as the enhancement of the image. One enhancement consists of emphasizing a selected object in the image. Thus, for example, a user might modify everything within the photograph except the selected object, so that the object stands out by virtue of its differences from the altered background. Alternatively, one might modify the object itself while leaving the remainder of the photograph unaltered, causing the object to stand out by virtue of the modifications.
It is known in the art of photographic processing to produce the aforementioned effects. For example, professional photographers and graphic artists may produce an emphasizing effect by performing custom operations on photographic film, or by performing custom manipulations of digital data corresponding to a photograph. Working with an imaging program on a computer, a skilled graphic artist who is familiar with the emphasizing effect may be able to execute a series of manipulations on an original image to define a selected object, modify the selected object or the original image, and overlay the image and the object. Alternatively, a skilled graphic artist who is familiar with the emphasizing effect may manually mask an object in an image, so that a subsequent modification is applied to all of the image but the masked object. However, there is currently no simple way for a first time or beginning computer user to create this emphasizing effect. For example, a technically unsophisticated user may not even be aware that such an effect is possible.
A method is needed whereby the beginning computer user may be apprised of the possibility of obtaining an emphasizing effect, and may be guided through the manipulations needed to obtain such an effect without the aid of a specialist.
The present invention enables the neophyte or technically unsophisticated user to obtain an emphasizing effect in a digital image, by listing the effect as one item in a menu of available effects, and by guiding the user through the process of creating the effect, once the user has selected the effect from the menu. In particular, if the user has not yet selected a feature in the image to emphasize, the user is automatically prompted to cut out the feature of interest, and to return to the special effects menu after having done so. At this point, the user may select a particular type of emphasizing effect from a visual menu of such effects, and the selected effect is automatically applied. This automatic application of the emphasizing effect may entail automatically visually altering the image background around the feature of interest, or may alternatively entail automatically visually altering the feature of interest itself. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments which proceeds with reference to the accompanying figures.